


IKE-MEN

by ichigoday



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Enemies to Lovers, First Dates, Gen, Intern Kindaichi Yuutarou, M/M, Restaurant Owner Oikawa Tooru, Yelp Reviewer Iwaizumi Hajime, one-sided Kindaichi Yuutarou/Iwaizumi Hajime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 11:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13833723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ichigoday/pseuds/ichigoday
Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime takes Yelp pretty seriously.He hadn’t intended to, really. It all started last year when a restaurant he dined at offered a promotional coupon if he left them a review. He created his Yelp account with little intention of using it after writing the review, but he came to discover that he actually enjoyed the process. Before he knew it, he was writing review after review of local bars, cafes, and restaurants near his apartment and office, and eventually his contributions led to him becoming a Yelp Elite member.He’snota foodie though.Several weeks ago, a new ramen restaurant called IKE-MEN popped up under “Hot & New Businesses” on his Yelp homepage. He rolled his eyes at the name -how gimmicky- but he did enjoy a good bowl of ramen and the place had a perfect 5-star rating, so he saved it to his bookmarks and then proceeded to forget about it.Until today.





	IKE-MEN

**Author's Note:**

> i've had this in my drafts since sept(!) and i'm so glad it's finally come to fruition because i had so much fun writing it. pls enjoy ramen shop owner!oikawa butting heads with a blunt & stubborn iwa<3
> 
> * _ikemen_ = handsome man... it's meant to be a pun ( _men_ = noodles)  
>  sorry it's lame heh

Iwaizumi Hajime takes Yelp pretty seriously.

He hadn’t intended to, really. It all started last year when a restaurant he dined at offered a promotional coupon if he left them a review. He created his Yelp account with little intention of using it after writing the review, but he came to discover that he actually enjoyed the process. Before he knew it, he was writing review after review of local bars, cafes, and restaurants near his apartment and office, and eventually his contributions led to him becoming a Yelp Elite member.

He’s _not_ a foodie though.

He thinks the label is silly, and besides, his Instagram isn’t filled with immaculately stylized photos of his food. On the contrary, he’s a pretty simple guy, and his taste buds are easy to please. He’s mostly in it so that he can offer constructive criticism to help restaurateurs improve their establishments, though he likes to think that his reviews are helpful for prospective diners too. Not to toot his own horn, but once in a while, he does receive feedback from managers and owners who thank him for his honest opinions.

Several weeks ago, a new ramen restaurant called IKE-MEN popped up under “Hot & New Businesses” on his Yelp homepage. He rolled his eyes at the name - _how gimmicky_ \- but he did enjoy a good bowl of ramen and the place had a perfect 5-star rating, so he saved it to his bookmarks and then proceeded to forget about it.

Until today.

Iwaizumi found himself heading towards IKE-MEN after work on Friday to meet up with his two closest friends from high school, Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Typically Iwaizumi was the one who suggested restaurants that he found while browsing Yelp, so it came as a bit of a surprise when it was Hanamaki who brought up the trendy ramen joint.

As Iwaizumi approached the restaurant, he spotted the pair standing outside whispering to each other, which was never a good sign. The three of them were friends since high school, but Hanamaki and Matsukawa were childhood best friends turned fiancés. Even before the two of them had started dating, there was always a part of Iwaizumi that felt like a third wheel, even though Hanamaki and Matsukawa never purposefully excluded him.

“Oi, what are you guys plotting?” he called.

“Nothing,” the two said simultaneously. Iwaizumi caught them sharing a look but decided to let it go.

“So what have you heard about this place?” Hanamaki asked. “Did you look up the reviews on Yelp?”

“Actually, no,” he said. “I didn’t get a chance to.”

“They’ve been getting some press lately,” Matsukawa said. “Especially the owner, Oikawa.”

Iwaizumi waited for his friend to elaborate, but instead he was met with silence.

“So? What about him?”

The corner of Matsukawa’s lip quirked up.

“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously. Yep, they were definitely up to something. “Prepare yourself.”

Before Iwaizumi could ask what exactly he needed to prepare himself for, they were greeted with a boisterous “Welcome!” as they entered. Iwaizumi instinctively began to survey the restaurant, the beginnings of a review already taking shape in his head. IKE-MEN was rather spacious, especially compared to the typical neighborhood ramen restaurant with no more than six seats. It had one large, U-shaped counter that took up most of the restaurant, with about fifteen seats total. The most striking thing about the restaurant, however, was not the interior, but rather its workers.

In the space behind the counter, three attractive young men who truly lived up to the name of the restaurant worked in tandem to fulfill orders as they came. Iwaizumi’s eyes were immediately drawn to the tallest of the three, an elegant man with a model-like stature. Despite the calamity of the restaurant, he remained cool and collected; even his perfectly styled hair was unruffled. His soft brown eyes were intently focused on the bowl of ramen he was currently constructing, his tongue darting out of the corner of his mouth in concentration.

“That’s Oikawa,” Hanamaki said, nudging Iwaizumi. “Pretty boy’s right up your alley, isn’t he?” _These fuckers._

Then, to Iwaizumi’s surprise, his expression did a complete 180 as he placed a final sprinkling of chopped scallions. He turned around with a flourish and presented the bowl to the awaiting customer.

“Here’s your Oikawa-san special~ Enjoy!” He smiled flirtatiously and winked.

The young woman and her friends squealed with delight and Iwaizumi felt his initial intrigue turning into annoyance. Being attractive was one thing, but people who knew they were attractive and shamelessly flaunted it pissed him off.

“Ah, the infamous Oikawa-san Special,” Hanamaki whispered, gesturing to the handwritten chalkboard menu on the wall.

 _☆_ _Oikawa-san Special_ _☆_ _  
_ _Yuzu shio broth, topped w/ corn, kikurage, menma, scallion, chili oil, chashu, soft-boiled egg_  
Wink included~

Next to the text was a cartoonish drawing of Oikawa’s winking face with his tongue sticking out.

“Huh?! The hell is that?” Iwaizumi said a little too loudly.

“Our most popular item,” a lilting voice interjected. “Made by yours truly.”

Oikawa had made his way to their end of the counter and was now looking directly at Iwaizumi, who glared back derisively.

“So sorry about our friend here,” Hanamaki apologized, elbowing Iwaizumi sharply. “He’s a brute.”

Iwaizumi ignored him, accustomed to the casual insults from his friends. His eyes reflexively gave Oikawa a once-over; he was pompous as hell but damn it if he wasn’t the hottest person Iwaizumi had ever laid eyes on.

“Are you ready to order?”

Iwaizumi quickly scanned the rest of the menu which included a Yahaba and Terushima special, who he assumed were the other two guys working alongside Oikawa, but his eyes kept going back to the ridiculous Oikawa-san special.

“I’ll have the Oikawa-san special,” Iwaizumi said evenly, trying not to blush as he heard himself say those words out loud. “But hold the wink - I’m not here for your gaudy bullshit.”

Hanamaki and Matsukawa slowly turned and stared incredulously at him.

“Oi, Iwaizumi what the fuck-” Matsukawa hissed as Hanamaki once again found himself frantically apologizing on Iwaizumi’s behalf before the tension could escalate into something worse. Iwaizumi maintained his eye contact with Oikawa, too stubborn for his own good.

* * *

 _Iwaizumi, huh,_ Oikawa thought. He probably should have been more irritated - dealing with rude customers in the service industry was the absolute _worst_ \- but mostly he was taken aback by the audacity of this guy glaring daggers at him. He was totally Oikawa’s type too - tan and muscular, with a gravelly, masculine voice - but he tried to not dwell on that. Since the inception of his restaurant, just about everyone responded positively to his playful demeanor except for this guy, and Oikawa, eager to please as always, needed to know why. Iwaizumi got under his skin, but in a good way - he felt challenged and he had no intention of backing down.

“And how would you like your noodles, soft, firm, or somewhere in the middle?” Oikawa asked, forcing a businesslike smile.

“...firm,” Iwaizumi grumbled, and Oikawa couldn’t help the tiny shiver that prickled through his entire body. What he wouldn’t give to run his hands along those _firm_ muscles right now. He hastily took Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s orders and turned around to begin preparing their food.

“What’s with that guy?” Yahaba whispered. “Oikawa-san, you could’ve just asked him to leave, you know?”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with that crap in your own restaurant,” Terushima agreed.

“Now, now,” Oikawa said lightly, busying himself with placing a slightly larger than usual portion of ramen noodles into the strainer. “A hungry customer is a hungry customer. We’ll just have to wow him with Oikawa-san’s amazing ramen and get on his good side! Yahaba, Terushima, you take care of the other two orders; I’ll handle this one myself.”

Yahaba glanced behind his shoulder at Iwaizumi, and then back at Oikawa, who had a tinge of pink in his cheeks and an unusually determined look in his eyes, and was he… humming?

“Oh my God,” he whispered. “Oikawa-san, you’re attracted to him.”

“Shh!” Oikawa hissed. “I just… want him to leave satisfied, that’s all!”

His ears picked up on the voices of Iwaizumi’s friends, who were speaking just a touch louder than all the other customers - or was he just imagining it?

“... think they have agedashi tofu?” the pink-haired one said.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Iwaizumi perk up, not unlike a dog that had just heard the word “walk.”

“Ah, I don’t see it on the menu,” said the taller friend with unruly black hair. “What a shame. _It’s your favorite food after all, Iwaizumi_.” His disappointment sounded exaggerated - they were definitely doing it on purpose.

Oikawa smiled to himself.

 -

“Here you go, one Oikawa-san special minus the wink,” he said cheerfully, setting the bowl down on the counter.

“Thanks for the food,” Iwaizumi mumbled. He looked down at the bowl of steaming noodles in front of him. Admittedly it was a good looking bowl of ramen, as far as ramen went. The toppings were artfully arranged: the chili oil added vibrant specks of red, and in the center of the bowl, a spiral of yuzu peel was placed atop half of a soft-boiled egg with a perfect, slightly runny golden yolk. As he dug in, he could feel Oikawa’s eyes watching him intently, searching for signs of approval.

“Iwaizumi, how’s your ramen?” Hanamaki asked.

In all honesty, it was delicious. The yuzu flavor was present but not overpowering, and the contrast between the floral, citrus flavor and the savory broth was peculiar at first, but somehow it just _worked_. He was still annoyed by Oikawa though - and stubborn as hell - so he just shrugged and maintained a neutral expression.

“Fine.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Iwaizumi saw Oikawa’s face drop and almost snorted out loud. He knew he was being petty, but it was worth seeing Oikawa get all flustered. _Just “fine”?!_ He could almost hear Oikawa thinking.

* * *

Later that night, Iwaizumi sat down at his desk and began typing his review of IKE-MEN.

_Came by on a Friday night for dinner with 2 friends and didn’t have to wait for seats. The inside is very clean, modern, and spacious. a step up from your typical neighborhood ramen joint._

_I tried the Oikawa-san Special, which seems to be their most popular ramen. The yuzu shio broth is an unusual flavor combination, but not unpleasant. The yuzu adds a slightly floral, citrusy flavor that can be a bit of an acquired taste, but you get accustomed to it the more you eat it._

Iwaizumi paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed. As brutal as he wanted to be, he knew most of it stemmed from his own personal issues with Oikawa’s behavior and he had to keep himself in check. The food and the service were both good, and at the end of the day, that was really all that mattered. But there had to be other people out there besides him who’d get annoyed too, right? Too many of the reviews gushed about the three handsome men working the restaurant. He knew he’d be an unpopular opinion, but hey, someone had to do it.

_Though the ramen was fine, I couldn’t help but feel irritated at the way Oikawa conducted himself. Most of the customers seemed to enjoy the attention from him, but if you’re someone who dislikes the shamelessly flirtatious types, I would steer clear. A ramen shop is a ramen shop, and a host club is a host club._

Iwaizumi settled on a three star rating (“A-OK”); he figured it was a good balance between his feelings about the food and Oikawa.

_Fucking Oikawa._

He clicked the submit button and shut his laptop, somewhat relieved to have nothing to do with the ramen shop ever again.

* * *

Several blocks away, Oikawa was lounging on his couch with a sheet mask on his face when he received the e-mail notification on his phone.

_Yelp - Iwaizumi left a review…_

He felt his pulse quicken as he clicked the link to the review. The first thing he noticed was the three-star rating and his jaw dropped.

This was IKE-MEN’s first rating below five stars.

His vision swam as he read Iwaizumi’s review over and over. _Irritated… shamelessly flirtatious…_ Was Iwaizumi an alien? No one else had reacted this negatively. At least he said the ramen was “not unpleasant.” That basically meant good, right?

It was already past midnight, but Oikawa furiously dialed Yahaba’s number and then added Terushima to the call.

“Guys, this is an _emergency_ ,” he said gravely.

Yahaba yawned. He’d been asleep for all of ten minutes when he was woken up by the call.

“Oikawa-san, what could you possibly need to tell us at this hour?” Terushima asked.

“Iwaizumi left us a review on Yelp and… _he only gave us three stars_!” he nearly screeched. “He said I was ‘irritating’! How?!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Yahaba groaned. “First of all, three stars isn’t even that bad, and it’s just one review. The rest are all five stars. To be fair, your ridiculous flirting was bound to not work on someone eventually.”

“But it works on everyone else,” Oikawa huffed. “Have I lost my touch?”

“If you care so much about what he thinks, just message him directly on Yelp,” Terushima said. “I’m hanging up, Oikawa-san. Tomorrow’s going to be another long day.”

Before he could get in another word, his phone beeped, indicating the call had ended, and Oikawa found himself staring at the home screen of his phone.

Then he scrambled to his computer, opened up Yelp, and clicked on Iwaizumi’s profile. _Yelp Elite, huh?_ Well then. He took a moment to admire his profile picture, a shirtless candid taken on a beach. Okay, so he was definitely attracted to Iwaizumi. Admittance was the first step, right?

But before he sent his reply, he had some research to do.

* * *

For the next several days, Oikawa didn’t mention Iwaizumi at all. He also began staying at the restaurant later than usual. Usually the three of them cleaned and closed up shop together, but Oikawa began letting Terushima and Yahaba go earlier, reassuring them that he was fine with closing on his own.

“No offense, Oikawa-san, but you look like crap,” Terushima said one morning when he arrived at the restaurant. Oikawa was getting less and less sleep as the week went by and it was starting to show. Today he had been too tired to even style his hair after he woke up, and he’d also forgotten to put in his contacts, so he put on his glasses in a rush before leaving his apartment.

“Um, Oikawa-san?” Yahaba asked, popping his head out from the back kitchen. “Why is there tofu in the fridge? Are we offering a new menu item?”

Oikawa typically consulted them before making such decisions. Prior to the restaurant’s opening, the three of them had spent weeks perfecting each bowl of ramen, making minor adjustment after adjustment until they were satisfied with the end products. It was highly unusual for him to make sudden changes all on his own.

“Yeah, something like that,” he said sheepishly. “Don’t worry, it’s not something that involves you two.”

Terushima and Yahaba shared a look and shrugged.

Later that night, he was finally ready to send his message to Iwaizumi.

_Iwaizumi-san,_

_This is Oikawa, owner and executive chef of IKE-MEN. I’d like to personally thank you for your honest review of our restaurant. We are always striving to be better, and we are sad to hear that we did not deliver to your standards._

_As your opinion is highly valued, I would like to invite you to give us another try. We are in the process of adding new items to our menu, and we would love for you to come by to sample these dishes before they are officially added to the menu._

_The restaurant will close at 21:00 tomorrow night, an hour earlier than usual. Please come by then. If tomorrow night is too inconvenient for you, please let me know if there is a better time for you._

_I look forward to seeing you again._

_Oikawa Tooru_

Iwaizumi stared at his phone in disbelief.

He took a screenshot of the e-mail and sent it to Hanamaki and Matsukawa.

 **Iwaizumi:** wtf?????

 **Hanamaki:** AYYYYYYYY  
SOMEONE’S GOT A HOT DATE

 **Matsukawa:** accept his invitation already

 **Iwaizumi:** ok first of all, why are we even calling this a date? how do you even know he’s single? and how do you know he hasn’t invited other people?

 **Hanamaki:** are you saying he’s too pretty to be single? bc i totally agree  
  
anyway he obviously only invited you bc you’re the only person that left a negative review you dipshit

 **Matsukawa:** and if you bothered to do some research you’d know that oikawa is openly gay and not even trying to hide the fact that he’s single. just look up some of his interviews

* * *

Iwaizumi yawned as he pushed his way through the revolving glass doors to his office. He spent all of last night plummeting down a rabbit hole of food publications and YouTube videos featuring Oikawa and his restaurant. The more he watched, the more he couldn’t help but want to learn more, and being a fairly new restaurant, Iwaizumi was disappointed when he realized he had exhausted pretty much every article and video he could find on IKE-MEN.

Iwaizumi was starting to regret the harshness of his review, but then he shook his head. Wasn’t this considered bribery? Was Oikawa inviting him back to the restaurant because he wanted to bump up his rating? He sighed as he sank down into his chair.

“What’s the matter, Iwaizumi-san?” Kindaichi’s voice snapped him out of his internal monologue.

“Nothing,” he grumbled. “Just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“Should I get you some coffee then?” Kindaichi asked. He had a hopeful look in his eyes, eager to be of assistance to Iwaizumi.

“Oh! Is Intern-kun going on a coffee run?” Kuroo’s voice echoed from the other end of the office. “I’ll take a latte, extra milk.”

“Don’t be rude, Kuroo,” Iwaizumi interjected just as Kindaichi was about to accept. “His name is Kindaichi, and he isn’t obligated to get coffee for anyone. He’s not getting paid nearly enough to deal with the likes of you. And _you_ ,” he said, turning back to the intern. “Don’t be afraid to say no to bullshit, especially from this one.” He jerked his thumb towards Kuroo.

“Tch, you’re mother henning him.”

“Y-yes sir.” A slight flush crept into Kindaichi’s face and he lowered his head bashfully. As he started to turn away and retreat to his desk, Iwaizumi grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Hey, I never said no to that coffee,” he said with a tired grin. “Just don’t let Kuroo know."

-

“Um… Iwaizumi-san?” Kindaichi peeked his head into Iwaizumi’s cubicle. “It’s past eight o’clock… Almost everyone else is gone.”

“And what about you?” Iwaizumi returned. “What are you still doing here? You know you’re not getting paid overtime.”

“I know that!” Kindaichi said. “I just thought I’d stick around in case you needed anything, a-and we could maybe… take the train home together…”

Iwaizumi leaned back in his chair, stretching out his arms and back with a satisfied groan.

“I’m starting to think you might be a bit too loyal,” he chuckled. “Anyway, I’m only staying late because I have a d- appointment at nine and didn’t want to bother going all the way home and coming back out.”

“I see,” the intern mumbled.

“Go home, Kindaichi,” Iwaizumi said gently. “I’m grateful for your dedication, but I’d rather you get some rest so that you won’t be tired tomorrow. Y’know, during our actual business hours when everyone else is here.”

“I don’t mind, as long as I can be useful to you,” he said under his breath.

“What was that?”

“N-nothing!” Kindaichi turned around hurriedly. “I’ll be leaving then. Good night, Iwaizumi-san.”

Iwaizumi glanced down at his watch. It was almost half past eight. IKE-MEN was only about a ten minute walk away, so if he left in fifteen minutes he’d arrive with five minutes to spare. Should he have gotten Oikawa a gift? Shit… this wasn’t really a date, was it? If he left now, he could stop by a liquor store and purchase a bottle of wine. But wait, would it be weird to bring outside alcohol into the restaurant? What if it wasn’t BYOB? He dropped his head in his hands and heaved a sigh of frustration. He’d been fine all day, surrounded by the distractions of work, but now, with no one left in the office, he was alone with his thoughts and he could feel the nerves starting to catch up to him.

After being so brash towards Oikawa last time, Iwaizumi wasn’t quite sure how to face him tonight, especially after learning about everything that went behind the restaurant.

Perhaps an apology would be a good start.

* * *

Iwaizumi felt his hands start to clam up as he approached the trendy ramen restaurant. Although the sign at the entrance was flipped to ‘Closed,’ he slid the door open anyway. There was Oikawa, standing behind the counter all by himself.

“Welcome, Iwaizumi-san! I’m glad you actually came.”

Now that Oikawa had turned off his over-the-top charming persona that he put on in front of customers, he seemed… shy? Tired? And maybe even a tad bit nervous?

“Y-yeah, um… thanks for inviting me,” Iwaizumi mumbled, taking the seat directly in front of Oikawa.

“Do you want something to drink?” Oikawa offered. “For alcohol, we have beer and sake.”

“I’ll have a beer, thanks.” Iwaizumi hoped the alcohol would help him loosen up a bit. He hadn’t realized how tense he was until Oikawa went into the back to retrieve the bottle of beer. He forced himself to take deep breaths while Oikawa was preoccupied with opening the bottle and pouring the beer into a glass.

“Here you go,” Oikawa said, placing a coaster on the counter and setting the beer on top. It was evident he was a perfectionist, with a sharp sense for the finest of details. The glass had been chilled prior, and he had poured the beer so that the head was perfectly formed, just barely higher than the lip of the glass.

“Thanks,” Iwaizumi said. He raised the glass and was just about to take a sip when he realized he was the only one drinking. “What about you, Oikawa?”

“Ah, I don’t like beer,” he admitted. “It tastes like bubbly liquid bread to me.”

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and almost instantly, the mood seemed to lighten.

“You’re not wrong,” he said. “I guess I just got used to it after having to drink so often with my coworkers.”

“That pretty much confirms that I’d never survive in the corporate world,” Oikawa laughed. “Ah, can you give me a couple minutes? I’m going to go to the kitchen in the back to prepare the food.”

Iwaizumi nodded and his eyes followed Oikawa’s figure as he disappeared into the kitchen. Then he pulled out his phone to text Matsukawa and Hanamaki.

 **Iwaizumi:** so… i’m at IKE-MEN now  
and i guess oikawa’s okay

 **Hanamaki:** just okay?  
admit it, he’s hot

 **Iwaizumi:** fine, he’s kinda cute  
and way more bearable now that he’s not putting on that ridiculous playboy act

 **Matsukawa:** you better get his number by the end of the night  
we may or may not have a bet going on

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes at his friends’ usual antics. He loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves - he figured he might as well try to relax and get comfortable while waiting for Oikawa to finish cooking. He heard the sound of a deep fryer sizzling away and wondered what Oikawa could have possibly been making. _Tempura? Croquettes? Katsu?_ He idly swiped through his social media accounts in an attempt to fill the time, but none of the words and images were registering in his mind.

“Thanks for waiting!” Oikawa announced. He came out from behind the counter, placed the steaming hot plate in front of Iwaizumi, and then took the seat next to him.

_Agedashi tofu._

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened and he watched the quivering bonito flakes in stunned silence.

“How did you…?”

“Your friends,” Oikawa laughed nervously. “I thought I overheard them saying you liked agedashi tofu. Oh God, I really hope they were serious.”

_Those assholes._

“It’s true,” Iwaizumi reassured him. “It’s my favorite dish.”

With his chopsticks, he lifted a chunk of the lightly fried tofu, making sure to dip it in the hot broth underneath, and placed it in his bowl. Then he broke off a small piece, and after blowing on it briefly, brought it to his mouth along with some of the grated radish.

“How is it?” Oikawa asked in a small voice. Just like last time, he searched Iwaizumi’s face for any hint of a reaction.

“Fine,” Iwaizumi said nonchalantly, but immediately lost his composure upon seeing the shock in Oikawa’s face. “I’m just kidding, Oikawa,” he grinned. “It’s the best agedashi tofu I’ve ever had.”

It was true. Iwaizumi had many an agedashi tofu in the past, but none that was as refined as the one before him. The tofu was fried to perfection, with a thin, crisp, golden exterior giving way to the smooth, silky interior. The dashi broth was the main flavor component to the blank canvas that was the tofu, giving it a hearty, savory depth - the perfect combination of smoky, salty, and sweet. Everything was meticulously composed, from the delicately sliced bonito flakes and scallions, to their arrangement atop the fried tofu.

Oikawa exhaled a shaky sigh of relief and rested his head on the counter.

“D-don’t tease me, Iwaizumi-san!” he whined. “I was so scared you wouldn’t like it.”

“Why?” Iwaizumi asked bluntly. “I mean- I’m sorry for the way I acted… and the review I wrote, but why were you so hung up on me? I know IKE-MEN hasn’t been around for long, but you’re bound to get customers like me, or worse.”

“I… I don’t know. I just… when I saw that you didn’t enjoy your experience here, my confidence was shaken. All of a sudden I just got really fired up and wanted to prove to you - and to myself - that I could make it up to you and win you over. I’m not very good at taking criticism,” he laughed dryly.

“Shit, now I feel really bad,” Iwaizumi said. “The ramen was really good too, I promise. I let my emotions get the better of me that day. I’m really sorry, Oikawa. Here, you should have some too. It’s your hard work after all.”

Without really thinking, Iwaizumi took a piece of the tofu and brought it to Oikawa’s lips. Likewise, Oikawa accepted the bite, and then seconds later, realized what had just happened. The two of them sat in silence, blushing furiously.

“I have to ask.” Iwaizumi cleared his throat nervously. “Was… is this a date?”

“It can be,” Oikawa said. “Do you want it to be?”

“Hey, I was the one who asked,” Iwaizumi snorted. “Cop out.”

Oikawa laughed.

“I wouldn’t mind calling it a date. I look like such a mess though,” he grumbled.

“Oh please,” Iwaizumi groaned. “You’re fucking gorgeous and you know it. Your restaurant is named IKE-MEN, for fuck’s sake.”

Normally Oikawa would have agreed and laughed at the absurdity. But there was something about Iwaizumi, something about his bluntness that just kept blindsiding him and striking something deep within him.

“You really think so?” he asked softly.

“You really needed to hear it from me?” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Just look at all the other reviews on Yelp.”

“You’re different though? I think you’re really hot too, Iwaizumi-san,” Oikawa blurted before he could stop himself.

Iwaizumi turned to face Oikawa directly, a lovely shade of pink tinting his cheeks.

“So,” he said slowly. “It’s mutual then.”

“Yes,” Oikawa breathed. “I’d like to see you again, Iwaizumi-san.”

“Oh drop the _-san_ already, Oikawa. We’re both 27.”

Oikawa blinked in confusion, trying to remember at what point during their conversation they had discussed their ages.

“Huh? How’d you…” His voice trailed off as realization dawned on him. “Um, did you, by any chance, research me?”

 _Busted._ Iwaizumi averted his eyes and chugged the remainder of his beer.

“I’m flattered,” Oikawa giggled. “But you know, now that you have me, you can just ask me anything directly, Iwa-chan.”

“Iwa… chan?”

Oikawa merely shrugged and smiled. Iwaizumi had never been one for nicknames, but for some reason, he didn’t mind it at all coming from Oikawa.

“So, are you really adding this to your menu?” Iwaizumi gestured to the agedashi tofu.

“If it’ll get you to come to IKE-MEN more often,” Oikawa said half-jokingly, but to his surprise, Iwaizumi shook his head.

“Don’t,” he said bluntly. “I want you to make it only for me.”

“So possessive, Iwa-chan.”

**Author's Note:**

> \- the one-sided Kindaichi/Iwaizumi is a nod to Conquering the Great King, still one of the greatest iwaoi fics in existence & the fic that got me into iwaoi m(_ _)m  
> \- i actually am a yelp elite (tho i haven't written a review in a while lol)  
> \- IKE-MEN was loosely inspired by a ramen restaurant in tokyo called afuri where i had yuzu ramen for the first time (it's rly good)  
> \- holler at me [here](http://ichigo-day.tumblr.com) on tumblr
> 
> comments, kudos, corrections, suggestions, etc. much appreciated! ty for reading :D


End file.
